You Only Get One Shot
by texasbelle91
Summary: Second chances don't always mean a happy ending. Sometimes, it's just another shot to end things right. (One-shot for Brick Day)


**You Only Get One Shot**

* * *

><p>Rick woke up gasping for air and pulling at the wires and tubes that were connected to him. His eyes frantically searching the room, looking for any sign of life other than himself but everything was blurry and all he could hear was a ringing in his ears. The ringing that was caused by Daryl's gun being fired.<p>

He closed his eyes and saw her. The bullet striking her in the head, the feel of her warm blood splattered across his face, her body collapsing to the floor, the red mixing with her golden hair.

For a moment he couldn't breath, his world had started spinning until it was out of control and he collapsed onto the floor beside her. He whispered her name, felt for a pulse, a sign she was still alive but she wasn't. The last thing he remembered was Daryl trying to pull him away from her.

Then he woke up here.

He briefly wondered if this was the same room she had been in while there but as his eyes and ears began to focus in on his surroundings, he realized it couldn't have been.

The sounds of cars humming by outside, the beeping of the machines, the faint sounds of the TV and people in the hallways pulled him out of his haze and back into the world.

"Oh, good! We were wondering when you'd wake up again," a nurse said, suddenly appearing at the foot of his bed. "We we beginning to get worried."

Rick opened his mouth to speak but found that his mouth was dry and his throat was sore. The nurse quickly helped him sit up then poured and handed him a cup of water, he drank it as if it was the first and last time he'd be able to.

He watched her silently as she began to write on his chart and press buttons on the machine. When she had finished, she turned to him and smiled.

"The doctor will be in shortly. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can get you?"

"Wh...where...what do you mean 'again'?"

She looked puzzled for a moment then smiled again. "Well, Mr. Grimes, you had been in a coma for approximately two months. Last week you suddenly woke up. You did that several days in a row, then you just didn't wake up. Your doctor took out your breathing tube and ran all the tests he could. He found out that you were able to breath on your own, there was no swelling in your brain and the inflammation around your wound had gone down. He hasn't given you any kind of sedative, he said your body needed time to rest and you'd wake up on your own, again, when you were ready. And I guess today you were."

Rick rubbed his hands over his face and let out a small laugh. "It was all a dream," he muttered to himself with a sigh.

"Oh, Mr. Grimes, your wife will be here around noon, that's when she usually comes, but I should warn you, she's been quite upset since you woke up last week. It seems you kept asking her, the doctors and the nurses for 'Beth'," and with that she walked out.

Rick closed his eyes, leaned back on his pillows and let out a deep sigh. His hands were shaking when he brought them up to his face to rub his eyes before opening them again.

This time, when he looked around, he took in every detail. He could see everything clearly but none of it was making sense. The dream had been too real and waking up from it just left him confused.

He watched the hands on the clock ticking away, thinking of Beth and everything he had dreamed of, until Lori's voice interrupted him.

"Rick?"

He looked over to see her smiling but he couldn't smile back.

She walked over and sat next to him on the bed and took his hand in hers.

"God, Rick. I've missed you so much. I'm so happy you're finally awake and sitting up. Carl is going to be so excited to see you're awake," she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. When he didn't respond to the kiss, she pulled back and let go of his hand. "Rick," she sighed, "I know we've had our problems but I love you and you being awake is a second chance for us. We can work things out and put everything behind us, in the past where it belongs."

Rick sat there quietly staring at her, Lori patiently waiting for his response.

"You mean you and Shane?" He finally asked, making Lori's eyes widen. "What? You think I didn't know? That I wouldn't find out?"

Lori stood and began pacing. "Look, Rick. I admit, I've slept with Shane once but I'm not the only one keeping secrets here. Do you want to tell me who Beth is? Where you met her? Because I know you sure as hell didn't meet her at the station. Did you meet her on one of the nights you had to 'work late'?"

Rick threw back his blankets and swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there a moment trying to work up the strength to stand and how he was going to explain who Beth is...or was. He wasn't even sure she was real, so what could he say? He stood, his legs immediately giving out under the weight of his body. Just as he hit the floor, the nurse and a doctor came in. Lori hing her head but listened to every we'd the doctor had to say as he helped Rick sit on the bed. They both watched as the nurse looked over his chart and the machines, then leaned over and whispered to the doctor who simply gave her a no and turned to Lori.

"Mrs. Grimes, would you please leave the room?" He asked.

Lori opened her mouth to protest but the nurse was already ushering her out.

Once Lori was out of the room, the doctor turned back to Rick. "I'm sorry to have to ask your wife to leave the room but your blood pressure was rising and your heart rate had increased."

Rick simply nodded so the doctor continued speaking. He was barely listening as he spoke of his test results, physical therapy and how lucky he was to be alive.

"When will I be discharged?" was Rick's only question.

"Well," the doctor began, "I still need to run some tests and you will need a few rounds of physical therapy before you can be released but I would say no less than two weeks."

Rick sat there in the hospital bed for the remainder of the day, and though he had asked to be left alone, that didn't stop the steady flow of visits from friends, coworkers and the one visitor who's company he didn't mind, Carl.

Just as he laid back, long after visiting hours were over, there was a single knock on his door before it opened. The night nurse walked in carrying a chart and a tray with a fresh pitcher of water. She didn't speak as she moved around the room, doing her job. It wasn't until after she had handed Rick a cup of water and his pills, did she speak.

"You're Rick Grimes, correct?"

Rick furrowed his brow and stared at her. She had his chart, which included his name, and she was asking if he was "Rick Grimes"?!

She smiled brightly, it was a very familiar smile, as she pulled a chair up next to his bed.

"Of course I know you are Rick Grimes, but I meant, are you the smart Rick Grimes who loves my daughter?"

Rick rubbed his eyes and took a long look at the woman seated next to him.

"You're daughter? Who are you?"

She gave a small laugh, another familiar trait he couldn't place, then it hit him.

"Annette," he whispered.

"Yes. And I'm here to tell you that you need to make a choice, Rick. I know you love her and you didn't get the chance to tell her before...before Dawn shot her. But this, right now, is your chance to make it right. This is your second chance, Rick, and you only have two months to make your choice. You'll only get this one shot to make it right."

Rick was dumbfounded, he wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't even sure if this was real. How could Annette be here and how could she know about Dawn shooting Beth?

"How...why?"

As he tried to speak, his eyelids grew heavy and his head fell back on the pillow.

Before his eyes closed, he looked up to see Annette smiling down at him as she whispered, "Sometimes, you might get a second chance because maybe time wasn't ready for the first one."

Those last words stuck in his head. Every night Annette would whisper those same words to him and everyday he thought about what they meant.

Was he really getting a second chance?

Rick impatiently waited the two weeks to be discharged and was told he'd have to wait three more weeks before being allowed to go back to work.

That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

He didn't want to spend everyday at home alone while Lori worked and Carl was in school.

Even doing simple things around the house couldn't keep him busy so he moved on to doing bigger projects, ones he'd been putting off for years.

Rick was in the backyard, nailing some boards together to build the deck he had promised Lori years before when her car pulled into the driveway. He didn't stop though. Not even when Lori and Carl both called out for him.

"Dad?" Carl shook Rick's arm, "Are you comin' with us?"

He looked up at his son, then to Lori and shrugged.

"We're going out for dinner. I thought you'd want to come with us," she said.

Rick shook his head and sat his hammer down. "How 'bout we go to the store? Stay in tonight?"

"Rick, I just got off work. I really do not feel like cooking."

"I'll cook," he said before rubbing his hands on his pants and walking inside.

He heard the groan Carl let out as he turned to Lori and asked, "If dad's cookin', can we get somethin' he won't screw up?"

Lori didn't reply, she simply nodded and followed Rick inside with Carl.

Thirty minutes later, he was following Lori around the store as she pushed the shopping cart and Carl threw in items when she wasn't looking.

Just as they stopped to look at meat, Rick heard a familiar voice but he shook it off. After Lori chose a pork chops, they moved on to another aisle where Rick stopped and listened as he heard the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He turned around to see Beth standing next to her own shopping cart, laughing at something the girl next to her said.

Rick stood there staring for God knows how long. He just listened to her voice in amazement.

He had forgotten about Annette and what she had said, convincing himself that it had all been a dream.

But now, standing there watching Beth and seeing her slowly turn her head to face him, he knew it hadn't been a dream.

When she smiled at him and her face flushed pink, his heart skipped a beat and he wanted nothing more in that moment then to run to her, take her in his arms, kiss her and tell her he loved her. He was going to do just that until he felt someone tugging on his arm.

"Rick," Lori said, tugging harder, "we're done here. Let's go home."

He nodded but he didn't move and he didn't take his eyes off of Beth.

She just stood there and continued to smile at him as if she were waiting for something.

He took a deep breath and turned to follow Lori but not before catching a glimpse of Beth's smile disappearing and her hand coming up to wipe at her cheeks.

Later that night, Rick sat on the couch in the dark rubbing his hands over his face and thinking about Beth.

He wanted to see her again but he didn't know how to make that happen but then Annette's voice echoed in his head and he felt tears slipping down his face.

He had missed his chance. His one chance to be with Beth, to make things right, to be happy and be able to love her. He had missed it and now there was nothing he could about it.

Nothing but sit there and think and then move on with his life.

She was gone.

* * *

><p>Three weeks later, Rick sat shotgun next to Shane in their patrol car.<p>

He couldn't help but wonder about Shane and Lori every time he looked at him. He thought about everything that had gone down the night Shane tried to kill him and it hurt just thinking about it. He wondered if Shane really felt that way. If in that moment, sitting in that car, did Shane want to kill him? Did he wish he was dead so he could be with Lori?

"What's wrong with you, man?" Shane asked.

"Huh?"

"You've been spacin' out a lot lately. Been tryin' to talk to you but ya ain't listenin'."

"What're talkin' 'bout?"

Shane shook his head and cranked the car. "We got a call and I asked if you knew the Fischer's."

"Uh...Not really. I've met 'em a time or two but I don't really know 'em. Is that where the call is?"

"Yeah," Shane replied as he pulled the car onto the road, "domestic disturbance."

Upon arriving at the Fischer's, Rick and Shane quickly determined it wasn't a domestic disturbance at all. The Fischer's youngest daughter, Lacey, had called in because her parents refused to let her go out with her boyfriend.

When she saw Rick and Shane weren't believing her, she began telling another story. And though they didn't quit believe her, they had to look into it.

"I'm telling you, Officer. My daddy has been mistreating the horses, mine especially. Just please go check it out," Lacey pleaded, smiling when Shane asked her father to show him the horses and they walked around the house to the barn.

Rick stood there studying Lacey and Mrs. Fischer. Something was going on and it ran deeper than teenage rebellion.

Not even ten minutes later, Shane came running back, screaming for Rick to call for backup and animal control.

Mrs. Fischer looked at her daughter and shook her head. "Lacey, what did you do?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "Why, mama, I didn't do a thing," she said mockingly.

Rick radioed for backup and animal control as Shane watched the Fischer's closely.

After backup arrived, Rick and Shane went to the barn to wait for animal control. Rick wasn't prepared for what he saw.

There were two horses with open wounds. The one marked with an "L" brand was badly beaten and looked malnourished while the other was just beaten.

Animal control arrived a few minutes later and after looking in on the horses, they asked if they could call in some help.

Rick agreed and moved out of their way as they began to work.

Mr. Fischer was sitting on the porch with his wife, when Rick walked back over. They both looked up and shook their heads.

"Officer Grimes, may I speak with you? Alone?" Mrs. Fischer asked.

He agreed and walked towards the police cars as another officer stepped forward to keep an eye on her husband.

"My husband has not hurt those horses," Mrs. Fischer quickly began. "He is too weak to even handle them."

"He's too weak to handle them?"

"Yes, sir. We've been in Atlanta on and off for almost three months so he can go through chemotherapy. We've left Lacey in charge here. She's seventeen, she knows how to handle the horses and what needs to be done. We thought she was responsible enough."

"Ma'am," Rick said, looking past Mrs. Fischer to the truck pulling into the driveway, "does Lacey have any mental disabilities?"

"No, sir. Why do you ask?"

"Those horses haven't eaten in a while and they've been beaten. If your husband hasn't been tending to them and you've left your daughter to care for them, then she either did it herself or she knows who did."

"Oh my God," Mrs. Fischer began sobbing. "Is there anythin' we can do? Can we press charges or something?"

Rick nodded but just as he opened his mouth, he caught sight of who had been in the truck. His breath caught in his chest and tears filled his eyes as she looked his way.

"Uh...ma'am, give Officer Harold your statement and we'll do whatever we can," he told her before walking off.

As he approached the barn, he could see Beth and Hershel kneeling next to Lacey's horse.

"Bethie," Hershel said, "they have two other horses. Can you see if you can find them and what kind of condition they're in?"

"Yes, daddy," Beth said as she stood up. She looked at Rick and gave him a slight smile as she walked off towards the pasture.

Rick stood frozen in place for a second before he realized Beth was alone and Lori wasn't there.

He could talk to her. Find out if his second chance was gone or not.

As he thought about it, he noticed he had already begun walking in Beth's direction and wasn't far behind her.

"Beth," he called out. "Beth."

She stopped and spun around to face him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm surprised you remember my name," she said and crossed her arms.

"I could never forget you, Beth."

"Really? Because it seems like you have. You've been given another chance, Rick. Why haven't you taken it? Or have you? Have you decided you want a second chance with Lori, not me?"

He couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

She knew!

She knew about his second chance and whatever the hell was happening.

"You knew about this?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes. I've known about it from the moment I hit the floor. I know you were standing behind me when Dawn shot me, I saw her hit the floor in front of me but I don't know who shot her."

"Daryl. Daryl shot her."

"Oh," Beth said, sounding almost disappointed.

"If you've known from that moment, why haven't you come to me?" Rick asked.

Beth uncrossed her arms and took a step forward.

"Because, this isn't my second chance. It's yours. You have to be the one who decides what happens. You have to make your choice, Rick. You can have a another shot at makin' things right with Lori like you wanted to or you can take a shot at being with me. It's your choice. No one can decide this for you. Just know that, whatever you decide, I love you."

Beth turned and walked away without another word but Rick didn't follow her like he wanted to.

He stood there, his mind made up long before he knew what he wanted. He didn't want another shot at making things right with Lori. He would always have too many questions, he'd always wonder what she was hiding from him.

But Beth. Beth had never given him a reason to doubt her. He'd never had a chance to tell her he loved her. He wasn't even sure she loved him back but now that he knew she did, he'd be damned if he would give her up.

But his time was running out and he had to make his choice. He had to make the move himself instead if waiting for others to do it.

* * *

><p>One day, the following week, Rick stepped out of his lawyers office feeling lighter than he had in years. Something about this day seemed perfect to him.<p>

He had his lawyer draw up the divorce papers, his bags were in the trunk and he was driving past the King County line towards the Greene farm.

As he passed over another county line, into the county the Greene's lived, it suddenly hit Rick that by choosing Beth, so many things would be altered but he kept driving.

He parked behind Hershel's truck, got out and walked right up the porch steps and into the house.

The house was empty. Eerily empty and boxes were everywhere.

He stood in the middle of the living room, confused and hurt, staring up the staircase.

"She's outside."

He turned around to see Annette leaning in the doorway to the dining room, smiling.

"Well, go on," she said and waved her hand towards the front door.

Rick hurried outside and went straight to the barn, walking past a very confused Hershel, Maggie and Otis.

Beth jumped whn she felt arms slide around her waist from behind and pick her up.

"I choose you, Beth. I'll always choose you."

She smiled and turned in his arms, kissing him passionately.

When he broke the kiss, he brought his hands up to cupping her face.

"I love you, Beth. I should've told you back at the prison but I didn't know I loved you like I do. I didn't know until Daryl told me you were gone."

She put her hands on his and leaned into his touch. "It's alright, Rick. I've always known you loved me. I could see it in your eyes. You looked at me the way Maggie looked at Glenn, the way mama looked at daddy. She always told me I'd know when a man really loved me and she was right."

Rick leaned his forehead against hers and started laughing. "We should thank her."

Beth pulled away from him and tilted her head. "Rick, mama's dead. She's in the barn with Shawn."

The blood drained from Rick's face and his heart felt like it stopped.

He had been hoping that this time around, he could do things right without walkers being involved.

"Oh, you thought walkers wouldn't be involved," Beth stated after a moment of silence.

Rick simply nodded.

"That was never your choice. The walkers were going to happen no matter what you decided. It was always in cards," she told him then leaned forward and kissed his lips.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the barn. "C'mon. There's somethin' I want to show you."

Rick followed her into the house and down the hallway.

She smiled when she stopped in front of one of the doors and quietly turned the doorknob.

She turned the light on as they stepped inside and his face lit up with his own smile.

"Judith was always in the cards, too," Beth said as she lifted the baby girl up out of her crib and handed her to Rick. "The only difference is, she's ours."

Rick cradled the baby with one arm and pulled Beth into his side with the other.

"Looks like I'll get my happy ending," he said.

Beth shook her head, leaned forward and kissed both him and Judith.

"Second chances don't always mean a happy ending, Rick. Sometimes, it's just another shot to end things right."

Before he could reply, he saw Noah stepping forward as Dawn and the others watched and waited.

He put his arm out to stop him, only to have Beth grab his arm.

"No," she whispered, "it's not your choice. He has to make his own."

Then she was stepping towards him.

Rick wanted to scream and pull her back but something was holding him in place.

"You have to make a choice," Beth's voice sounded in his head.

Rick drew his gun.

"No! Beth!" He shouted as she plunged the scissors into Dawn's chest and he pulled the trigger.

His eyes closed at the flash of red before him.

When he opened his eyes seconds later, he saw Daryl pulling Beth into a hug while she smiled at him.

As she looked to Rick, she moved away from Daryl and jumped into his arms.

Rick held her close and peppered her face and neck with kisses as they fell to the floor.

"Now I get my happy ending," she whispered.


End file.
